Three Cups of Tea
by Xiala
Summary: "We drink three cups of tea to do business. The first, you are a stranger. The second, a friend. And with the third you become family, and for family, we are prepared to do anything. Even die." Post-Finale.
1. Part One

Three Cups of Tea, Part One

Summary: "We drink three cups of tea to do business. The first, you are a stranger. The second, a friend. And with the third you become family, and for family, we are prepared to do anything. Even die." Post-Finale.

A/N: Well, here's my overdue finale response! I'm sorry I haven't been able to do much in the way of new chapters and fics lately- I recently found out I have a vitamin D deficiency, which, among other things, has made me constantly exhausted. As well as robbing me of any enthusiasm I have for doing anything more strenuous than sitting in bed and listening to podcasts. School's also been worse than anyone could imagine, between the higher-level coursework, my brain's refusal to function properly, and the way the lower grades treat me as a punching bag because I'm too tired to fight back. [/vent]

Now, on to the serious stuff.

I have enough medical knowledge (as in heavy-duty first aid and too much reading, both fiction and otherwise.) to say with reasonable certainty that Jane's bullet wound, if it hit the spot it looked like it did, wouldn't be life-threatening. Just painful and potentially a nuisance for the doctors to clean up. (Sort of like Nathalie's in 'She Works Hard For The Money.')

On the other hand, Frankie seems to be in serious trouble. I'm too tired to go and look the condition up, but, if my guess is correct, he's the one to worry about. I know he's not dead (maybe because of my psychic powers, or because my mom did an IMDB search for the actors turning up in next season) but he isn't out of the woods as far as permanent disability is concerned.

Wait- I'm not that evil and/or bored, am I?

PS- Haven't watched See One, Do One, Teach One due to parental restrictions. Don't be mad if I mess things up!

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"In Pakistan and Afghanistan, they drink three cups of tea to do business. The first, you are a stranger. The second, a friend. And with the third you become family, and for family, they are prepared to do anything. Even die," Maura murmured under her breath.

No one heard her. Everyone else was sitting down and watching her with trepidation as she paced back and forth in the tiny confines of the room.

Maura thought back to when she and Jane had first met, and drank the first cup of tea.

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_Three years previously._

_"Dr Isles?" called the homicide lieutenant, Marquette._

_She looked up from the Raman spectroscopy she'd been analysing. _

_"Yes, Lieutenant?" she called as he came into the room, followed by a woman about her own age, with striking features and black hair tied in a sloppy ponytail. _

_"I'd like you to meet Detective Jane Rizzoli. She's new to the homicide unit." Turning to Jane, he added, "Rizzoli, this is Dr Maura Isles, our lead pathologist. You two will be working together on the murders you're assigned."_

_Maura shook Jane's hand, smiling. She got a tentative smile in return. _

_"I'll leave you two here to get acquainted," Marquette said as he hurried out. Maura scowled after him. Maybe it was the MD behind her name that frightened many of the men of the homicide unit, she suspected, but she knew none of them wanted to ever spend much time with her. _

_"Jerk, isn't he?" Jane said wryly, breaking the silence._

_"As are half the homicide unit, at least when I'm around," Maura replied. "I think they're scared of me."_

_"You bet they are," Jane said, not dropping the wry tone. "I don't see why, though. You do your job, they do theirs. It's the way things work 'round here, or so my partner's told me."_

_"Who's your partner?" Maura asked, hoping for Jane's sake that she hadn't gotten Crowe. Everyone hated Crowe- he was a prima donna, lazy, and thought he knew best no matter the situation._

_"Korsak, luckily," Jane said with a grin. "I'm just lucky I didn't get Crowe. I haven't met him, but I've heard enough about him to be glad I never have to speak to him."_

_"Your opinion is not unfounded," Maura told her. "I heard it was his fault his partner was killed by that drug dealer." _

_Jane didn't have anything to say to that._

_The silence made Maura a little uncomfortable._

_"Would you like something to drink?" she asked, standing up to go fish something out of the cupboard. _

_"Sure. Thanks."_

_Maura pulled out a container. Looking through it, she said, "I have white, jasmine, chai, oolong, red, and mint teas. Any preference?"_

_"Chai sounds good. Thanks."_

_Choosing a black chai for Jane and the jasmine for herself, Maura retrieved her electric kettle and put the water on to boil._

_After the tea had brewed. Maura handed the mug of chai to Jane and took a sip of her jasmine._

_"Wow, this is good!" Jane exclaimed after taking a tentative sip. _

_"I'm glad someone in the unit appreciates my teas," Maura said with a laugh._

_Their awkwardness broken, the two chatted on. _

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Maura smiled slightly at the memory of Jane's reaction to the chai. Although since that, she'd persuaded the detective to try many other types of tea, the chai remained her favourite.

Suddenly, she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"Maura, sit down," Barry Frost told her quietly. "Pacing won't help Jane, and it won't help you."

The pathologist allowed Frost to guide her over to one of the chairs and sit her down. As she collapsed into the chair, she suddenly realised how tired she was. Leaning back into the relatively comfortable seat, she allowed her eyes to close.

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_Frost turned to Korsak and whispered, "She's asleep."_

_"Good thing the doctors loaned us some cots, then," Korsak replied, standing up to set one up. "Help me lift her onto it," he whispered a moment later._

_When Maura was lying on the cot, Frost pulled the blanket over her. Korsak sat down on one side of the bed, Frost on the other. _

_Smoothing her hair from her face, Korsak whispered, "Sleep, little sister. Things will be better when you wake up." _

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A/N: If you want to read about the second and third cups of tea, just leave me a review and I'll post them. :P


	2. Part Two

Three Cups Of Tea, Part Two

Disclaimer: Don't own it!

A/N: As I've said, I haven't watched See One, Do One, Teach One, so please don't kill me for any inaccuracy!

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By midnight, Korsak had fallen asleep on one of the cots. Frost, however, was still awake.

Something about hospitals frightened him. Made him look over his shoulder, nag medical professionals relentlessly, and keep an eagle eye on anyone with him. If Jane and Frankie weren't in the ICU, he'd be hovering by their bedsides.

Taking a sip of the coffee one of the nurses had given him, he looked over at Maura. She was evidently having a dream, but judging by her calm expression, waking her up wouldn't be a good idea.

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Maura had begun dreaming of the second cup of tea almost as soon as she'd fallen asleep.

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_After the trial of Charles Hoyt, Maura had offered to let Jane stay with her overnight. The detective, shaken and in torment, had accepted the pathologist's offer. _

_Neither of them had said anything on the way to Maura's house. Jane just stared ahead, face blank of any emotion. Her hands told a different story, though, as they endlessly worried a small, polished piece of wood Maura had given her. _

_After gently guiding her into the living room and insisting she lie down on a couch, Maura covered her friend with an afghan and went into the kitchen to make her a cup of tea. _

_Maura stared at her collection of teas for a while before deciding on lavender chamomile. She was no expert on herbs, but she'd heard that combination helped induce sleep. _

_After putting the teabag in the mug and putting her kettle on to boil, she paused and then went over to her home remedy cupboard. Rummaging around for a moment, she found what she wanted: a bottle of valerian extract. After pouring the water into the mug, she added a drop of the extract along with a bit of sugar to mask the bitter taste. _

_When she returned to the living room, Jane had sat up and was still worrying the piece of wood. Maura sat next to her and put the mug in her hand. "Here, drink this," she told her friend quietly._

_Jane obediently took a sip. Maura, slightly unsure of what to do next, suggested that Jane lie down in her spare bedroom. _

_"I don't want to be alone," Jane whispered. "If I'm alone, I'm vulnerable."_

_"Then you can stay right here on the couch and I'll stay with you," Maura replied gently. "Lie down and sleep, Jane. I'll be right here."_

_Lying back down, Jane fixed her eyes on Maura. "Don't leave."_

_"I won't."_

_Jane stared at the ceiling, evidently determined to stay awake, but the tea took hold after a few minutes and her eyes closed._

_Maura slipped into the kitchen and swiftly made a cup of black chai. Returning to the living room, she sipped it, determined to stay awake for Jane._

_She stayed there, watching her friend, until the first rays of the morning's sun filtered through the windows. _

_She was almost asleep when Barry Frost knocked on the door._

_Maura let the rookie detective in. He'd just been transferred to Homicide, and while he was pretty green, Maura liked him._

_Quietly explaining the situation, Maura led him back to the living room. _

_"Get some sleep, Maura," he told her. "I'll stay with Jane."_

_"Thank you."_

_Lying down on one of the unoccupied couches, Maura allowed herself to drift off to sleep as Frost took up her vigil._

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Frost put his coffee cup down and yawned. It was almost one AM, and he knew he should lie down on one of the cots before he fell asleep.

Positioning the cot next to Maura's, he lay down and was asleep before his head hit the pillow.

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A/N: That certainly didn't turn out like I thought it would. XD But I kinda like it. What do you think?


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